Services - What we provide
Tribal Library System
The Seminole Tribe of Florida provides Community Libraries on five of the six Seminole Reservations. These are Billy Osceola Memorial Library in Brighton, Willie Frank Memorial Library in Big Cypress, Dorothy Scott Osceola Memorial Library in Hollywood, Immokalee Reservation Library, and the Tampa Reservation Library.
Our libraries are public in nature with emphasis on Seminole and Florida material. Collections include 23,000+ titles, numerous periodicals, videos, CD ROMS, photo collections, tapes and 40 years of various news articles on the Seminole Tribe including an archive of the Seminole Tribune.
Library services include adult and childrens' computers for educational and recreational needs including Internet service at all Tribal Libraries.
The concept of Library services to Tribal members was first introduced at the Brighton Day School in the 1940s. Mr. and Mrs. William Boehmer, from North Dakota, established the first book collection at the Day School.
In 1985 under the leadership of Winifred Tiger, Director of Education, and her assistant Patricia Jagiel, great strides were taken to improve library services to the reservations. A Professional Librarian, Norman H. Tribbett was hired. Collections were updated, libraries were furnished in an attractive manner and staff was hired.
In the past several years, the library system has undertaken the task of updating and automating with the new technologies. These technologies include a fully automated card catalog, Internet services, fax services and Electric Library with access to thousands of full text articles in magazines, books, radio and television transcription form.
The Seminole Tribal Library System is a member of the American Library Association, the American Indian Library Association and a member of the Southwest Florida Library Network (SWFLN). Our Card catatlog records are being converted as part of a retrospective conversion project with member libraries of SWFLN.
Our libraries serve 20,000+ patron visits yearly. We take pride in our summer library programs for children, and our libraries serve as research centers for both Tribal and nontribal individuals.
At present time the Dorothy Scott Osceola Memorial Library at the Hollywood Reservation is being housed in temporary facilities. This site as well as the Billy Osceola Memorial Library is now under construction. The new building at the Hollywood Reservation will house all Education programs. At the Brighton Reservation the addition to the old building will double the size of the current library. All services are still available at both sites. For a bibliography on books about the Seminole Tribe go to the bibliography page.
Tribal Library System Branches:
BILLY OSCEOLA MEMORIAL LIBRARY
ROUTE 6 BOX 668 OKEECHOBEE, FL 34974
PHONE: (863) 763-4236 - FAX: (863) 763-0679
e-mail: libbrsem@okeechobee.com
HOURS: 8AM - 5PM (MONDAY-FRIDAY)
DOROTHY SCOTT OSCEOLA MEMORIAL LIBRARY
(Broward County)3100 NW 63RD AVENUE HOLLYWOOD, FL 33024
PHONE: (954) 989-6840 - FAX: (954) 967-2395
e-mail:libho@semtribe.com
HOURS: 8:30AM - 5:30PM (MONDAY-FRIDAY)
WILLIE FRANK LIBRARY
(Hendry County) HC 61 BOX 46A Big Cypress Reservation
CLEWISTON, FL 33440
PHONE: (863) 983-6724 - FAX: (863) 983-3539
e-mail: libho@semtribe.com
HOURS: 9AM-6PM (MONDAY-FRIDAY)
TAMPA RESERVATION LIBRARY
5219 ORIENT ROAD #K TAMPA, FL 33610
PHONE: (813) 626-5765 - FAX: (813) 626-5489
HOURS: 12PM -9PM (MONDAY-FRIDAY)
IMMOKALEE RESERVATION LIBRARY
303 LENA FRANK DRIVE SUITE 3 IMMOKALEE, FL 33934
PHONE: (863) 657-3400
HOURS: 1PM - 5PM (MONDAY-FRIDAY)